What Love Is
by Kanna37
Summary: Natsu is a lot more intuitive and even wiser than everyone thinks, and he's about to prove that point to Loke. Loke/Lucy ship.


**What Love Is**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Fairy Tail.

~~LoLu~~

"Why don't you just make a move on her already?"

Loke about jumped out of his skin as that question penetrated his current distraction, and it took him a few moments to unfreeze. Dammit, he hated being surprised, but he should know by now that most Fairy Tail mages were good at shocking the hell out of everyone around them.

He should know because he was one of them.

However, the one that had just about startled him into heart failure was the one mage in Fairy Tail that wasn't usually that sneaky. No, Natsu Dragneel was in your face about everything – even his presence. You _knew_ when he was coming. Therefore, Loke realized that it was his own fault he'd been taken by surprise this time, because he was just too preoccupied to pay attention to his surroundings.

He slanted a contemplative glance on the dragon slayer that had interrupted his thoughts, then sighed. "Why are you of all people asking me something like that?" he finally asked.

Natsu scowled. "Because I want to know, that's why. I wouldn't bother asking if I didn't."

The ginger-haired celestial spirit shook his head and then leaned back against the wall, his drink still pretty much untouched on the table in front of him. "Does it matter?"

"Look, I know you have feelings for Lucy, deeper than just your usual carrying on over a pretty girl. So what's the problem?"

"I don't step on my friends toes when it comes to such things, Natsu," Loke finally replied, having decided to just be upfront with the boy. No point in denying it, because he could see that he wouldn't be believed, anyway.

"Eh? What the hell are ya talkin' about?" the pink-haired teen asked, looking confused.

The stellar spirit looked away, not wanting to have this conversation at all, but not sure how to get out of it. Maybe he couldn't... and maybe he shouldn't. This might be just what the other mage needed to push him into doing something about his own feelings for the beautiful blonde woman in question. "Look, you and Lucy seem to have a 'thing', okay? I won't try to get in the way of that. Does that answer your question?"

Now it was Loke's turn to be subjected to a considering look, which, coming from the current source was vaguely surprising, and he watched with eyes gone opaque as the young man suddenly sat down across from him and folded his arms on the table.

After a few beats of that oddly knowing stare, he spoke. "Lucy and I aren't like that, okay?" He held up a hand as the lion spirit went to interrupt. "I didn't say I don't have feelings for her, so don't start. I ain't denyin' anything. But the thing is, Lucy doesn't return those feelings, and I've known that for a while. I just want her to be happy," he shrugged as the older man – not that he looked it - stared at him with a rather dumbfounded expression. "So, I'm tellin' ya to go make her happy. It's as simple as that."

Loke blinked, then blinked again. Then he asked, "How do _you_ know she doesn't return your feelings?"

"Because I know who she does have feelings for. We're best friends, so when it became apparent that something was bothering her, I asked what was wrong. She told me. And so here we are, and I'm telling you that you need to stop just watching her all the time, and make a move," Natsu replied matter-of-factly – and without his usual easy speech.

 _I didn't even know he could speak more formally, _Loke thought, his mind a rather muddled mess at the moment.

"So you're trying to tell me that Lucy has... feelings for me?" he asked skeptically, once he could get his very out-of-order brain into some semblance of clarity.

"I ain't _trying_ to tell you anything, I _am_ telling you," the dragon slayer snorted, returning to his more usual loose speech. "Man, you do have it bad, don't ya? It's not like it ain't obvious she cares for you as more than just nakama, but you're so busy convincing yourself you ain't got a chance that you're completely blind to the fact that you're the only one who _does_ have a chance."

This discussion couldn't be happening, and that statement finally proved it to Loke. He pouted with disappointment. He'd imagined this whole thing – _dammit! -_ because there was just no way that _Natsu_ of all people would sound so... mature. He wrinkled his nose at the very thought. Yeah, that _so_ wasn't happening – and therefore, all this was merely a nice daydream. It wasn't like he hadn't had probably a few billion of those since he'd met and then fallen in love with the amazing blonde, but this one was just a bit ridiculous. He must really be getting desperate if he was imagining this kind of conversation as even a _remote_ possibility.

His attention was pulled back and centered on the pink-haired teen he was sure he was dreaming up when he spoke again.

"Oi, Loke! What the hell – did I break ya, or something?"

"If you've got feelings for her, then why are you telling me this?" the Lion asked suspiciously, determined to get the 'daydream Natsu' to disappear by pointing out the flaw in his logic. "Shouldn't you be trying to get her for yourself?"

The teenager laughed and tossed his drink back and took a nice long gulp, then slammed the tankard back onto the table. "Geeze, what is this? Ya getting stupid on me? I told you earlier that I just want her to be happy. That's why _you_ weren't really trying to get with her, isn't it? Sure you flirted, but that's all you ever did, because you thought she liked me and wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn't with you. I want the same thing, that's all," he clarified. "That's what love is. That's how you know it's _real_ – because that person becomes more important to you than anything, even your own happiness. And then you realize that their happiness _is_ your happiness, and that if someone else makes them happy, then you can't really be _un_ happy about that."

 _Okay, this really can't be happening, _Loke thought as he stared bemusedly at the slayer in front of him. He pinched himself on the arm. Hard. _Ouch, ouch, ouch! Okay, maybe it is real. Holy hell, if this is really happening, then Natsu's hiding a whole lot from his friends with his socially oblivious act, because that was way more mature and wise than anyone would ever believe him capable of being. Especially since this has nothing to do with fighting. And if he's not kidding me with this whole thing – _he shook his head, there was no way Natsu could pull off a joke like that – _then that means..._ his eyes snapped to where Lucy's laugh was suddenly coming from, and stared at the object of all his dreams and fantasies as she was standing at the bar talking to Mira, Lisanna, and Levy.

He looked back at the fire mage as the young man laughed, a wide smile on his face as he glanced at Lucy, too. He really did look happy at seeing the blonde enjoying herself and laughing. Loke studied him for a moment, and then smiled a little in response to the thought and went to stand up. He put a hand to the dragon slayer's shoulder as he passed him.

"Thanks, Natsu."

"Don't mention it," he replied. "Oh, but I'm warning you now – if I find out you're still running around with all those other girls, or _any_ other girl, I'll kill you before you can even blink. Are we clear?"

The stellar spirit nodded compliantly. "Crystal. If I ever do something like that, then you have my permission to go ahead and kill me – I won't even try to stop you. I'd deserve it."

"Good, glad we're straight. Now go get her. And name the first kid after me!"

Loke gulped. _First kid?! I think it's a little too soon for that, Natsu!_

Then he looked up as she laughed again, and a slightly feral grin slipped across his face without him even realizing it.

 _On the other hand..._ his eyes narrowed with a predatory light, _maybe I could be... persuaded._

With that thought Loke's blood hit boiling point, and the proud zodiac lion began his hunt.

 _The girl won't know what hit her!_

~~LoLu~~

A/N: Yeah... so here's another Loke/Lucy-centric one shot. I can't help it. As much as I love NaLu, I just can't stop my LoLu feels. Loke's my favorite character from Fairy Tail, followed by Lucy and then Natsu, and so on and so forth. But NaLu gets a LOT more love from writers, so I'm gonna be doing more LoLu than NaLu. At least for a while.


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